\A-.X:P^ 


^M^. 


U.  S.  DEPARTMENT   OF  AGRICULTURE. 

BUREAU  OF  ANIMAL  INDUSTRY.  "    /    n^«n 


A.  D.  MELVIN,  Chief  of  Bureau. 


U.S.  DEPOSITORY 


THE   NECESSITY   FOR   ERADICATING    FOOT-AND-MOUTH 

DISEASE. 

The  nature  and  characteristics  of  foot-and-mouth  disease,  together 
with  some  history  of  the  various  outbreaks  in  this  and  other  coun- 
tries, are  given  in  detail  in  Farmers'  Bulletin  666,  and  for  this  reason 
will  be  but  lightly  touched  upon  in  this  pamphlet. 

There  are  a  large  number  of  the  diseases  of  domestic  animals,  as 
well  as  diseases  of  the  human  species,  Avhich  are  known  to  be  due  to 
the  activities  of  "  germs,"  minute  members  of  the  vegetable  and  ani- 
mal kingdom,  which  may  not  be  visible  even  with  the  high  powers  of 
a  microscope.  Of  all  these  it  is  doubtful  if  any  is  as  easily  spread 
as  is  the  germ  of  foot-and-mouth  disease.  Experience  has  taught 
the  majority  of  people  the  infectious  nature  of  many  of  the  more 
common  human  diseases,  such  as  smallpox,  scarl  »t  fever,  measles,  etc., 
but  a  great  many  live-stock  owners  do  not  realize  that  the  infectious 
diseases  of  their  domestic  animals  are  just  as  easily  communicable. 

Foot-and-mouth  disease  attacks  cattle,  hogs,  sheep,  and  goats,  and 
sometimes  other  animals,  including  the  human.  The  disease  is  highly 
infectious.  The  germs  may  be  carried  on  the  shoes,  clothing,  or 
bodies  of  persons;  upon  the  feet  or  bodies  of  poultry,  birds,  dogs, 
cats,  or  other  animals  which  may  have  been  in  the  immediate  vicinity 
of  afflicted  animals;  by  insects;  by  particles  of  straw  or  litter  which 
may  be  carried  by  the  wind ;  and  in  many  other  ways. 

RAPIDITY  OF  EXTENSION. 

Owing  to  its  extremely  infectious  nature,  foot-and-mouth  disease, 
when  once  started  in  a  community,  spreads  with  great  rapidity.  An 
example  of  this  is  shown  in  the  recent  outbreak,  when  in  less  than 
three  months  from  the  first  case,  and  despite  every  precaution  that 
could  be  taken  by  the  authorities,  the  disease  had  affected  animals 
in  21  States  and  the  District  of  Columbia. 

The  results  of  an  investigation  as  to  the  means  by  which  the  disease 
was  spread  during  this  outbreak  disclosed  the  fact  that  about  one- 
quarter  of  all  the  affected  herds  were  infected  by  germs  carried  by 
persons,  although  not  one  single  case  was  found  where  the  infection 
was  carried  by  inspectors,  these  men  being  required  to  fumigate  and 
disinfect  themselves  after  visiting  each  farm.  In  the  majority  of 
cases  infection  was  carried  by  farmers  or  some  member  of  their 
household,  who,  for  curiosity  or  other  reasons,  visited  infected 
premises,  or  where  persons  from  infected  premises  visited  other 
places  where  animals  were  confined. 

8629—15 


An  interesting  example  of  this  is  found  in  the  fact  that  the  health 

authorities  of  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  were  compelled  to  have  an  injunction 

issued  restraining  a  certain  stock  buyer  from  going  upon  any  premises 

containing  animals,  as  it  was  ascertained  that  he  was  spreading  the 

infection. 

PERMANENT  IMMUNITY  NOT  INSURED. 

In  one  respect  foot-and-mouth  disease  differs  from  the  majority  of 
infectious  diseases,  in  which  one  attack  confers  upon  the  person  or 
animal  affected  a  permanent  immunity  from  future  attacks  of  the 
same  disease.  Foot-and-mouth  disease  does  not  confer  such  immu- 
nity, at  least  of  a  permanent  or  lasting  nature.  Animals  which  may 
recover  from  the  disease  during  one  outbreak  may  again  be  attacked 
during  future  outbreaks,  or  they  may  even  reinfect  themselves  by 
means  of  germs  carried  upon  their  own  bodies. 

Certain  persons  who  recover  from  typhoid  fever  are  known  to  be 
carriers  of  that  disease  long  after  they  have  ceased  to  show  or  feel  any 
evidence  of  the  disease.  In  this  same  manner  animals  which  have 
recovered  from  foot-and-mouth  disease  may  continue  to  be  a  constant 
menace  to  the  health  of  other  animals  with  which  they  may  come  in 
contact.  It  is  truelj&t  these  germ  carriers,  both  animal  and  human, 
are  not  frequently  found,  but  the  fact  that  they  exist  must  be  taken 
into  consideration  when  attempting  to  eradicate  the  disease. 

NECESSITY  FOR  ERADICATION. 

An  estimate  issued  by  the  Department  of  Agriculture  shows  there 
were  in  the  United  States  on  January  1,  1915,  a  total  of  58,3*29,000 
cattle.  64,618,000  swine,  and  49,956,000  sheep.  All  of  these  animals 
are  susceptible  to  foot-and-mouth  disease,  and  should  this  disease  be 
allowed  to  spread  promiscuously  over  the  country  it  is  fair  to  assume 
that  the  majority,  if  not  practically  all  of  these  animals,  would  be- 
come affected. 

Although  the  death  rate  is  not  large  (estimated  from  2  to  3  per 
cent  in  average  outbreaks) ,  every  animal  attacked  by  the  disease  is 
injured  to  a  greater  or  less  extent.  As  the  disease  continues  to  spread, 
however,  strains  of  virus  passing  through  successive  herds  some- 
times result  in  a  much  more  virulent  form  of  the  disease,  in  which  the 
death  rate  may  reach  as  high  as  40  or  50  per  cent  of  the  animals 
attacked. 

In  Holland,  where  the  disease  now  exists  continuously,  cattle  are 
said  to  be  damaged  to  an  extent  of  $10  each  on  the  average.  In  Ger- 
many, where  the  same  condition  exists,  the  loss  is  said  to  average  $7 
for  each  head  of  cattle  attacked  by  the  disease.  If  the  disease  should 
become  similarly  prevalent  in  the  United  States  the  loss  sustained 
on  the  vast  number  of  cattle  would  aggregate  an  immense  sum. 
While  swine,  sheep,  and  goats  are  injured  to  a  less  average  extent, 
the  injury  in  the  aggregate  would  amount  to  many  millions  of  dol- 
lars annually.     Breeders  of  swine  in  the  United  States  are  already 


struggling  with  hog  cholera  and  other  diseases  peculiar  to  this  spe- 
cies, and  to  permit  foot-and-mouth  disease  to  become  prevalent  might 
mean  a  deathblow  to  the  industry. 

Nor  do  the  losses  end  here.  Xot  only  is  there  considerable  danger 
to  human  life,  through  infection  of  children  and  weak  persons,  but 
the  economic  loss  to  the  dairying  and  allied  industries,  the  effect  on 
the  market  price  of  animals,  and  the  expense  and  trouble  of  unavail- 
ing but  persistent  efforts  at  quarantine  which  always  result  would 
add  to  the  burdens  of  {he  producer  and  the  consumer. 

METHODS  OF  ERADICATION. 

Even  a  superficial  study  of  this  question  should  convince  the  most 
skeptical  of  the  necessity  of  eradicating  this  disease  before  it  becomes 
established  to  the  point  where  eradication  is  impossible. 

Three  methods  are  open  by  which  to  control  or  eradicate  an  in- 
fectious disease,  namely,  vaccination,  quarantine  without  slaughter, 
and  quarantine  with  slaughter  of  all  infected  or  exposed  animals. 

No  vaccine  has  yet  been  found  which  is  of  value  or  which  will  pro- 
duce a  permanent  immunity  in  foot-and-mouth  disease.  Quarantine 
without  slaughter  has  been  tried  in  various  ways  by  European  coun- 
tries, and  has  invariably  resulted  in  permitting  the  disease  to  become 
fastened  upon  the  country  employing  that  method.  It  has  proved 
impossible  to  maintain  an  effective  quarantine  upon  a  farm  for  the 
long  period  of  time  necessary.  There  remains,  then,  but  one  effective 
method — that  of  quarantine  with  slaughter — which  is  the  method 
now  in  common  use  in  all  countries  which  have  so  far  successfully 
coped  with  the  disease. 

One  large  herd  of  cattle  in  Chicago  was  saved  from  slaughter 
because  conditions  made  possible  methods  of  quarantine  to  prevent 
spread  of  the  disease.  Such  conditions  would  be  absolutely  impos- 
sible on  an  average  farm  and  far  too  costly  to  employ  with  ordinary 
cattle.  This  case,  therefore,  offers  no  criterion  by  which  the  effective- 
ness of  this  method  may  be  judged,  and  the  experience  of  European 
countries  with  farm  quarantines  is  that  the  disease  invariably  spreads 
and  gains  a  lasting  foothold.  The  herd  in  question,  which  was  held 
in  close  quarantine  at  Chicago- for  a  period  of  seven  months,  consisted 
of  over  TOO  valuable  pure-bred  cattle.  They  were  confined  in  the 
second  story  of  a  tight  brick  building.  A  large  force  of  veterinarians 
and  police  officers  was  employed,  and  no  employee  or  other  person 
was  allowed  to  leave  the  building  until  he  had  been  thoroughly  fumi- 
gated and  disinfected.  Xo  outside  animals — dogs.  cats,  poultry,  or 
birds  which  carry  the  disease  from  one  place  to  another — could  gain 
access  to  the  building.  Conditions  for  feeding  and  handling  the 
cattle  and  disposing  of  manure  and  bedding  were  such  that  none  of 
it  could  get  out  of  the  building  without  being  thoroughly  disinfected. 
These  conditions  would  be  difficult  to  duplicate  outside  of  a  large 
city  and  would  be  impossible  to  maintain  on  any  farm.     Even  were 


UNIVERSITY  OF  FLORIDA 


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it  possible  to  maintain  similar  quarantine  on  farms  the  large  number 
of  veterinarians  needed  to  supervise  the  work  could  not  be  obtained, 
and  the  heavy  expense  of  maintaining  such  a  quarantine  would  exceed 
many  times  the  value  of  the  animals  involved.  In  the  case  of  the 
large  Chicago  herd  the  expense  per  head  amounted  to  several  times 
the  average  value  of  farm  cattle. 

OPPOSITION  TO  ERADICATION  WORK. 

Owing  to  the  low  death  rate  and  the  mild  form  of  the  disease 
which  is  usually  manifested  at  the  beginning  of  an  outbreak,  the 
drastic  methods  of  eradication  necessary,  and  the  general  lack  of 
public- knowledge  of  foot-and-mouth  disease,  considerable  contention 
is  apt  to  exist  wherever  those  in  charge  attempt  eradication  work. 

It  should  be  the  duty  of  every  interested  stock  owner  or  other  well- 
meaning  person  in  affected  districts  to  assist  in  preventing  the  spread 
of  foot-and-mouth  disease  by  every  available  means. 

In  all  such  cases  it  is  necessary  for  the  individual  to'  sacrifice  his 
own  special  interests  and  to  give  a  spirit  of  cooperation  in  these 
measures  which  experience  with  the  disease  wherever  it  has  occurred 
shows  to  be  essential  to  the  safety  and  prosperity  of  the  national 
cattle-raising  and  dairy  interests. 

YOU  CAN  HELP. 

Every  person  can  help  by  keeping  away  from  stricken  animals. 
Do  not  go  to  see  them  out  of  curiosity,  and  do  not  permit  other  mem- 
bers of  your  household  to  visit  the  premises  on  which  such  animals 
are  confined.  Keep  your  dogs,  cats,  chickens,  and  other  domestic 
animals  at  home,  and  keep  other  people  and  their  animals  away  from 
your  stock  and  barns. 

Telegraph  immediately  to  the  Department  of  Agriculture  at  Wash- 
ington reporting  any  suspicious  cases  of  sore  mouth  associated  with 
lameness  in  your  stock.  Do  not  take  chances.  Delay  will  save  you 
nothing,  and  may  greatly  harm  you  or  your  neighbors. 

Observe  strictly  the  quarantine  regulations  and  induce  your  neigh- 
bors to  do  likewise.  .Experience  has  shown  that  where  people  work 
with  the  authorities  the  loss  to  the  community  is  trifling  compared  to 
what  it  is  when  they  work  against  them  or  show  indifference. 

If  you  are  feeding  skim  milk  or  garbage  see  that  it  is  thoroughly 
cooked  by  boiling  before  being  "fed.  If  there  is  an  outbreak  in  your 
vicinity  do  not  permit  milk  cans  or  other  objects  from  creameries  or 
other  farms  to  be  brought  onto  your  premises. 

If  the  inspector  visits  your  farm  aid  him  in  every  way  to  do  his 
work'  quickly  and  thoroughly. 

If  you  have  not  already  done  so,  secure  Farmers'  Bulletin  666, 
read  it,  and  assist  in  disseminating  the  true  information  about  this 
disease,  for  no  price  is  too  groat  to  pay  to  prevent  its  gaining  per- 
manency in  this  country. 

WASHINGTON"  :  GOVERNMENT  PRINTING  OFFICE  :  1915 


